Turn Up Your Nose, Strike That Pose
by Tweedle Laney
Summary: Modeling!AU: Alice Liddell has been named assistant to one of the agencies most difficult models, Julius Monrey, who is rumored to be so cold and dislikable, that most everyone who has worked for him quit before their first week was over. How will she fare working under such a man? Possible Julius/Alice (The more people read it, the more likely I'll make it longer!)


Moving through a sea of designers, clothes racks, models, and managers, Alice examined the slip of paper given by her own manager. It was her first shoot, and rather than fetch coffee or hang jackets like she usually did, she was actually assigned to one of the models… Probably just for make up and fittings and making sure they're prepped for the runway. Given that this was just the shoot before the actual show later that week, things were already kicking into a frenzy. "Cest la vie…." She sighed. Turning a corner , she stopped before a door, and looked over the paper once more. The name 'Julius Monrey' had been scrawled onto the crumpled slip of paper. She didn't know the models personally, but she had heard some rumors about him through other interns. About him being rather unpleasant to be around and far more stubborn than most. But these were some of the top notch models, after all. Of course some of them would have that 'high and mighty' view on others around them. She turned the corner, walking down the hall until she stood in front of a door with 'MONREY' across it. The blonde took a deep breath, before giving a gentle wrap against the door.""Julius Monrey?"

No answer. She called him name once more through the door, but heard nothing. Not even shuffling of movement towards the door. Could it be that he wasn't there? Her eyebrows knit together. She didn't want to have to go back to her manager with her tail between her legs— that could only end up with permanent termination of her career in this business. No. That wouldn't happen. She knocked again— a little harder this time. "Julius, are you inside?"

"No."

A deep voice halted the girls knocks, as she turned to face its owner. Someone she could only assume to be Julius stood behind her. He was wearing a black, silk robe. The female gave an audible gasp of surprise. He was tall, brooding and had unbelievably long hair– on top of all that, he was undoubtably a beautiful man…. Like something out of a romance novel– Like a Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. It was no wonder why he was a model in the first place. "I thought you'd be waiting inside…" Her voice squeaked out in surprise, as she tried to regain her composure. "I grew tired of waiting for someone, so I went and got it myself" he replied coldly, taking a sip from the cup in his hand. Most of the other models would wait for someone to get the drink for them, but— as rumored— Julius was impatient. She shook the thought away, and cleared her throat.

"I'm Alice Liddell… I was assigned to be your assistant from this shoot onwards…" She didn't bother offering a hand to shake, he would probably refuse anyway. "I look forward to working with you"

"An assistant?" Julius asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly will you be assisting me with?"

The work of a model wasn't exactly rocket science nor was it a laborious activity where he could use a spare set of hands— Alice knew that much— but certainly, there were some things models didn't need to bother themselves with. She knew some of the other models weren't very bright. She wasn't sure if it was due to inbreeding or the Botox, but a good number of them probably couldn't tie their shoes alone. However, Alice had heard from others that he was different. And that he was also quite difficult.

"Clothes, makeup, hair, the works" she replied, examining the clipboard with his schedule. "And scheduling… And just basic things to make things easier until your previous manager returns" she had heard the other left on temporary leave— most believed she wouldn't return, however. She refused to allow such things to sway her opinion and confidence— or whatever that stomach turning feeling was. "Speaking of which, you have a shoot in two hours"

Now that she thought about it- weren't there at least two or three other people that handled those things? Had he really scared all of them off? Well, if that were true, it made sense to hire one girl to take care of it all. That way, when he scared her off, they'd only need to replace one person.

"Do you have any experience?" Julius asked, pulling Alice back from her train of thought. He took another sip of his coffee, walked past Alice, opened the door to his dressing room, and motioned for her to follow him inside.

She gave a curt nod, following him into what might as well have been a lions den. "I've some… It isn't too much, but they said I'm a good fit for the job" she explained. She was damn stubborn, a good trait for working with a stubborn model, so they said. She closed the door behind them, and looked back down to the clipboard. No doubt he was booked for some time this week, meaning there would be a lot of running around and dealing with appointments. No wonder most people left– and if he was really as big of a handful as they said, she was in for a rough start… "I hope you can bear with me for the time being…"

Julius nodded and set his cup down. "What's my first appointment?"

She looked back to the clipboard, scanning it over. "It's a magazine cover shoot for J-Wonder at noon. You'll need this specific outfit from a shoot you did last week, seen here" she removed the attached photograph and pressed it to the table. "In terms of hair and makeup, they simply request the makeup be a bit darker to bring out your cheekbones more" whoever gave her this clipboard and went through the trouble of getting all this info was a damn pro… After this week she'd have to do this much on her own— best take some notes on this in her free time… Should she have any. "That's all"

"Next time be sure to get the name of the photographer." Julius stated as he looked at the picture on the table. She have a hesitant nod, before looking back to the design. It was a darker design— it suited his hair and eyes well enough. She wasn't even sure the name of the photographer. Everything looked simple enough; this would be a good thing to start Alice off with. Julius glanced at a clock. "Let's get started then."

There was no real need to start getting ready now; they had plenty of time. However, should something go wrong, it was good to have a cushion of time to fall back on. Julius pushed his chair back as he stood up and headed over to the garment rack. Alice had attempted to open her mouth to stop him, but he had already beat her to the rack. She scanned over the design once more, concentrating rather on the clipboard than Julius. Moreover, she sure hadn't expected him to start changing in front of her! But he did prove more modest than some of the other models.

Julius slid the pants on under his robe before discarding said robe. He then pulled his arms through the sleeves of the shirt. There was a zipper in the back that Julius couldn't easily reach. He moved his long, blue hair out of the way, and looked to Alice expectantly.

Ah— the zipper! She put the clipboard down and strode towards him, taking the zipper hesitantly. 'His hair must take serious maintenance…' She thought to herself, before tugging at the zipper. 'All the products and specific methods of keeping it…. That's going to be troublesome…' She sighed, before looking the room over. Julius was handsome, there was no doubt, but she wondered if most of the models here became such just because of their looks. Not many she worked with had been the brightest or easiest to take care of, but Julius seemed different. He seemed intelligent and self sufficient, as she saw with his leave to get coffee and his work at the clothing rack. Most wouldn't do that without some assistant or runner to get things for then. It was curious how he ended up here, but she refused to ask questions. With a final tug, the zipper slid up the rest of the course until it stopped near his neck

After Alice zipped the closure in the back of the garment, he slid the boots on. As he bent to lace them up, he noticed the expression on Alice's face. "If you have something to say, say it."

"Ah– it's nothing" she insisted, suddenly realizing he had been looking up at her. "Then stop spacing out." He replied bluntly.

"My apologies…" She replied quietly, before picking up the picture of the outfit from the last shoot. The specific product of makeup used was extremely expensive… It was amazing how far the business went to get the very best… His makeup was definitely nothing to sneeze at… It was damn close to perfect. Working to that standard would require a steady hand. Her manager had mentioned that he often ended up doing his own makeup because no one else's skills meet his high standards. It was one of the reasons people found him difficult.

"Hm…"

Things looked rather untidy… Maybe from the previous assistant. Either way, she would make it a point to have that cleared after the shoot. When Julius was finished, he took the picture off the table and walked over to the mirror. He found the products he needed with ease— He really did have that intimidating air everyone spoke he knew exactly where everything was in that disarray of product! She scowled slightly, and stepped towards the model. If she didn't do anything, why did he need her there?

"You said you had some experience…What did that entail?" he inquired, cobalt eyes shifting upward to meet her gaze.

"I have enough experience to work with product and makeup, but if you had a specific system with how you do it, I didn't want to change it" she explained. "If not, I'll start with that when you're ready"

She figured asking models for a specific system they may be used to was the best idea— after all, some would like it one way and not easily switch to another— especially not a model like Julius.

"Actually, I do have a system. I can show you or step you though it; I'll let you decide."

So she was right—! Her mood lifted substantially at that. "Yes, if you could show me it would be better"

Julius reached for a pad of paper and pen and handed both to Alice. "I don't want to have to do this a second time. Take notes if you feel it necessary. Ask questions if you have them, but pay attention." He lined up the products and told her why he used each. Julius then showed her how he was able to style his hair to match the photograph.

She took notes and asked a question or two, making sure to pay close attention. Once he finished speaking, she looked over the notes and nodded. "I see…. OK, I'll make sure to study it well"

There was something strange in her enthusiasm; it was much more resilient than anyone else's. He noticed it disappeared in most people after they talked to him for more than five minutes. Julius glanced at the clock; it was almost noon. "It's almost time for the shoot; we should go."

"Ah, right!" Had time really passed so quickly? It felt so short… Then again, his hair certainly did take some time. She took the clipboard from the table and picked up the picture as well. "I forgot, there was some bronzer needed— they requested the makeup be darker… Should I apply it once we get there?"

"That'll be fine; that way they can decide how much darker they want it." Julius sighed, starting for the door. He held it open and waited for Alice to catch up.

"I understand… Alright" Taking the proper bronzer needed, she soon caught up and gave a nod of thanks once she was out. First impressions were the most important… Other than looking like a bit of a space case, she had some hope that things would get a bit smoother from here. "I'll get a car brought about"

—

So this is a part 1 of a 2 part story. I figured I'd want to space it out and see some feedback? Thanks to my friend Solitary for being a part of this! Part two will be up soon enough! Leave a review if you'd like!


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